]]>2015 Dance Concert held on Sunday, May 3rd was an overwhelming success. The concert was a late addition in the 2014-2015 Theatre season and the program scrambled around to find a way to produce an exhibition of the student work over the past year of classes. Dances were prepared primarily through classwork, but several pieces needed altered to fit the format of a dance concert, and one was inserted by a student group (WLU Student Dance Ensemble).

WLU Theatre hopes to continue to develop the opportunities in dance for the campus and the region through events like the 2015 Dance Concert. Any interested in more information about the Dance Minor, can contact maulick@westliberty.edu.

West Liberty University recently developed a minor in Dance and is holding its first ever Dance Concert. The concert is under the direction of the dance faculty, Jill Howard and Gretchen Moore, who will be performing with the concert. Jill Howard teaches, among other classes, ballet and tap. Gretchen Moore has taught jazz, modern, and hip-hop for West Liberty.

Dance Concert will have dances that students have developed through their coursework, as well as a special number or two by the Dance Ensemble group of students on campus. The concert is open, and free, to the public and will be held on Sunday, May 3rd in the Kelly Theatre in the Hall of Fine Arts on West Liberty University’s campus.

]]>In early November of last year, West Virginia hosted the SETC state screening audition. Students from around the state gathered for a 60-90 second audition in front of three professional theatre adjudicators. Each student was given a score, based on their audition, that would be used to select the best of the state to be ‘invited’ to attend the larger audition at the SouthEastern Theatre Conference held in March in Chattanooga, TN. Eight West Liberty students attended and auditioned the state screenings, with five of those scoring high enough to be invited to the SETC audition, five of only fourteen from the entire state.

On March 3, 2015, the five Hilltop Players (Maggie P. Dillon, Alexandria N. Glotfelty, Geena M. Diomedi, Alex E. Franke, and Elijah G. Boyles (who had the second highest score in the state) loaded into a car for the ten hour drive to Chattanooga, TN.

West Liberty University is proud to be represented so well at this regional conference. “To have five students from a small program like WLU’s is a huge source of validation. If more than half of your students ranked this high, it really speaks to the strength of the program. We have hard working faculty, supportive administrative teams, and eager and dedicated students.”

While at SETC, students will be given 60-90 seconds to audition for hundreds of casting directors from all over the 10-state Southeast region. If they impress a casting director, the student may be offered a “call-back” where the student meets one-on-one with a theatre company to audition further for professional work in their company. Also, student have access to workshops, presentations, and additional professional opportunities through a “job fair” and a “job board”.

We congratulate these students on earning to this honor. Watch out Chattanooga, the hilltoppers are coming.

“SETC is the strongest and broadest network of theatre practitioners in the United States. We provide extensive resources and year-round opportunities for our constituents. Our services, publications, and products contribute significantly to the careers of emerging artists, seasoned professionals and academicians. SETC energizes the practical, intellectual and creative profile of theatre in America.” – setc.org

Elijah Boyles, one of the five students attending SETC auditions in Chattanooga.

]]>Under Milk Wood, Dylan Thomas’s last work and only play, opens at the Kelly Theatre this February. Thomas introduces the colorful townsfolk of Llareggub (“bugger all” backwards) through their dreams as he examines powerful forces that operate beneath the calm exterior of a town which as “fallen head over bells in love.” Under Milk Wood has its final dress rehearsal Wednesday, February 11, and opens Thursday, February 12. The Hilltop Players offer performances on February 12-13 and 19-21 starting at 7:30pm and Sunday, February 22 at 3:00pm.

Under Milk Wood was commissioned by the BBC who in 1963 recorded it as “play for voices” with narration by another famous Welshman, Richard Burton, who claimed “the entire thing is about religion, the idea of death and sex.” These themes are central to the lives of the colorful characters described with great fondness by the author. Like his poetry, it relies on the clang of its lines and the pictures evoked by its words to communicate its meaning. The town has its own personality which is divided along Freudian lines in to a conscious world of daily activity narrated by the first voice and a subconscious world of intimate thoughts revealed by the second voice. The multitude of anecdotes interwoven in a masterful fashion and written in a lyrical, evocative language, creates an enduring portrayal of the place and the people.

Under Milk Wood is the a wonderful opportunity for the Hilltop Players to get the entire program involved and to challenge our students with the poetic performance required.

Dylan once said, “The first poems I knew were nursery rhymes, and before I could read them for myself I had come to love just the words of them, the words alone. What the words stood for, symbolized, or meant was of very secondary importance — what mattered was the very sound of them as I heard them for the first time on the lips of the remote and quite incomprehensible grownups who seemed, for some reason, to be living in my world. And those words were, to me, as the notes of bells, the sounds of musical instruments, the noises of wind, sea, and rain, the rattle of milkcarts, the clapping of hooves on cobbles, the fingering of branches on a window pane, might be to someone deaf from birth, who has miraculously found his hearing.”

]]>The West Liberty University Theatre program is going to nationals. This January, our students attended the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (region II) in Cleveland, OH. The festival includes thousands of theatre students from college/university theatre programs across the region (OH, WV, PA, MD, NJ, NY). With this many people, West Liberty students used to think they could never compete against the bigger arts programs. This year proved that they were wrong.

In 2010, the West Liberty University program took eight students to Indiana University of Pennsylvania to attend the regional conference of the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for the first time; and they have been attending festival every year since.

“The most interesting part for us is how much we have developed over the past few years,” said Michael L. Aulick, Associate Professor of Theatre. “In our first year, we were just happy to be there. Since then, we have worked hard to distinguish the WLU Theatre as one of the better schools in the region.”

The WLU Theatre participation in the festival has increased over the years. Students are now regularly competing in the Irene Ryan acting competition, the Musical Theatre Initiative, the New Playwright’s Project, and this year, the Student-Directing Initiative.

Notable success began in 2013 when Cassandra Hackbart was selected as one of the finalist of the Irene Ryan Acting competition (16 actors were selected out of the 230 who participated). Continuing that success, Maggie P. Dillon made it to the final 16 the next two years (2014 and 2015) and really helped solidify West Liberty University’s Theatre program reputation as a top-notch program.

“Having a finalist is a big deal, having one in the last three festivals is huge,” claimed Aulick. “We are recognized at festival now. It is cool. I was stopped in the hallway by an NYU faculty who saw my name tag. She wanted to tell me about the work our students did in her workshop. They stood out and she wanted to let me know.”

However, this year the program reached a new height. Jaccob Trifonoff, WLU senior, theatre major, took part in the Student-Directing Initiative. He was tasked with analyzing and directing a scene for the festival and he chose Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME. Jake and three of the WLU actors (Geena Diomedi, Alex Frank, and Jedediah Shook) worked over the Christmas break to prepare the 10-minute scene. At festival, they performed the scene for the judges, Jake was interviewed by the judges, and then they performed for the judges again. Based on his work and interview, he was selected to represent the region at the national festival in Washington, D.C. this April.

“While I am terribly proud of Jake and thrilled he will represent WLU at nationals, I am proud of all of the WLU students work.” said Aulick. “West Liberty Theatre is a great program, developing theatre artists who can compete with students from any school in the region.”

Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens, the Kennedy Center’s founding chairman, the Kennedy Center American College Theater (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide that has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF respondents.

]]>http://westliberty.edu/theater/2015/01/12/wlu-theatre-continues-shine-regional-festival/feed/0The Last Days of Judas Iscariothttp://westliberty.edu/theater/2014/10/25/last-days-judas-iscariot/
http://westliberty.edu/theater/2014/10/25/last-days-judas-iscariot/#commentsSat, 25 Oct 2014 23:38:57 +0000http://westliberty.edu/theater/?p=7375THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT is a comic, irreverent […]

]]>THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT is a comic, irreverent attempt to make a judgement on the soul of the world’s most renowned sinner. Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ and Stephen Adly-Guirgis wonders what would his trial in purgatory be like (if told by a comedian). While it is often snide and funny, it offers deeper moments of heart wrenching questions about Judas, despair, and forgiveness.

Set in a time-bending, darkly comic world between heaven and hell, THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT reexamines the plight and fate of the New Testament’s most infamous and unexplained sinner.

DUE TO CONTENT AND LANGUAGE, THIS PRODUCTION IS NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES

“THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT shares many of the traits that have made Mr. Guirgis a playwright to reckon with in recent years; a fierce and questing mind that refuses to settle for glib answers, a gift for identifying with life’s losers and an unforced eloquence that finds the poetry in lowdown street talk…Mr. Guirgis is a zealous and empathic researcher, and he presents dilemmas of ancient Galilee in terms winningly accessible to the twenty-first century…” —NY Times.

“Stephen Adly Guirgis has written a real jaw-dropper…expressionistic fantasy…raw language and flamboyantly street-savvy characters…his imagination is dazzling and his command of language downright thrilling.” —Variety.

“…one of the most passionate and powerful young playwrights to have come down the theatrical runway…a must for anyone interested in the work of thoughtful and original playwrights.” —CurtainUp.

]]>Stanley Harrison has been acting and teaching actors for more than 40 years. A veteran of the New York stage, his work as teacher, mentor and coach has helped many find careers in the theater including work on Broadway. His performance career runs the gamut from New York venues, including The American Globe in such classics as Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing and The Three Sisters, to Regional stages, including The Barter Theatre, The White Barn Theatre and The Ice House Theatre, to name but a few. Stanley’s film and television credits include Riffed for Caravan Films, a stint on The Sopranos and a variety of voice-over work through the years.

His teaching roster has included such names as J. C. Sheets who performed as the alternate Jean Valjean in the Broadway production of Les Miserables and as Jean Valjean for the Australian production, and David Klatt who performed in the Broadway production of La Cage Aux Folles.

Mr. Harrison also built not one, but two theaters in New York City with the mission of producing new works.

West Liberty University and the Ohio Valley owe much to this amazing talent. The Kelly Theatre stands as a tribute to his knowledge and diligence as he was instrumental in its design during his tenure as Director at West Liberty State College from 1962-1979.

While in Wheeling, he directed summer musicals at the Amphitheater in Oglebay Park, performed with the Wheeling Symphony under the direction of Robert Kreiss, and introduced Broadway musicals and serious theater to the College. Along with Helen MT Kelly, Stanley developed the WLSC theatre into a program that has produced students that have gone on to perform on Broadway, television and film. They have also found success as Artistic and General Managers of Regional theaters, leaders in Academic Theater and so much more.

Mr. Harrison’s education includes an MFA from the Yale School of Drama, with additional study with Stein Burger, the Director of the National Theatre of Norway and Eric Byrak, the Director of the National Theatre of Holland.

Do you know you radiate?Do you know about you’re higher self? Do you know what it means to have faith in truth? Find out wonderful, powerful things about yourself that we actor’s must know because acting is all about you and it all starts with love.

This seminar is open to the public and is presented by the Department of Music and Theatre at

West Liberty University free of charge.We encourage everyone to take advantage of this rare opportunity to get to know this very special man.

Leaving academic life for the harsh realities and infinite options of a career in theatre can be overwhelming. This session will give students an overview of how to treat your acting career as the small business it is.

Topics covered may include:

A mock audition:

– Managing expectations – From “what do they want from me?” to dealing with the messy aftermath of Actor Mind Taffy

– Advice on material, presentation and wardrobe

– Finding the auditions – Backstage, AEA.org, Actors Access

Headshots 101

– What is a headshot’s one and only job?

– Pop or Flop? What gets their attention?

– Type, Type, Type! Cast yourself first.

– Compare and Contrast: the Good, the Bad and the Great!

Resumes

– Standard formatting for different genres

– How to make white space look good without LYING!

Which market is right for you?

– NYC – America’s theatre hub

– Other major markets: Chicago and LA

– The regional market boom! Arts careers across the country

Marketing Tools

– Social Media

– Facebook and Twitter traps!

– Email Etiquette

– Snail Mail – Yes, that’s still a thing.

– It’s a whole new Domain – why you need a web site NOW

Online Casting Communities

– Actors Access & Breakdown Services

– Casting Networks, Casting Frontiers

Pick yourself FIRST – creating your own work

– Invaluable experience

– Calling card of an true artist

– DOUBLE the resume power!!

Look for the Union label!

– What a performers’ union does (and DOESN’T) do for you

– AEA, SAG-AFTRA, AGMA, AGVA – acronyms explained

– How to join? WHEN to join?

– What are your obligations?

– Access – the Equity difference: the EPA and ECC explained

Agents and Managers

– Legit vs. Commercial vs. Print

– NEVER pay to play

Grad School

– Is it worth it?

– Is it for you?

– Prestige vs training vs debt – the balancing act

Brian Myers Cooper is a professional New York actor of 20+ years, as well as a writer, director, acting teacher and career coach. His performing career has ranged from the lowest to the pinnacle of Equity contracts, with performances in all fifty states. He has coached his clients to jobs on Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours, major regional theaters, and the recent NY Philharmonic production of Sweeney Todd starring Emma Thomson, soon to be aired on PBS. For the past decade he has served as an elected member of the National Council and Eastern Regional Board of Actor’s Equity Association where he is a veteran of seven contract negotiations, including chairing three of the teams. In addition, he serves as a trustee of the Equity-League Pension & Health Trust Funds. Over the years, Mr. Cooper has studied extensively with notable NYC teachers in Meisner, On-camera technique, Commercial technique, Alexander, Linklater Voice, multiple stints with Shakespeare & Co, and a bevy of singing teachers and coaches. He is the proud holder of a BA in Music Education (vocal and instrumental) from WLSC (’88).

“My goal when working with actors is always the same: to meet them where they currently are in their journey and guide them to reveal themselves through the material (and vice-versa!) The techniques I use are customized for each actor and are an amalgamation of more than two decades of study and experience in the professional theatre.” – B.M. Cooper

In 2.5 hours, he will lead the class through a brief actor warm-up based in Alexander and Linklater work, including: Body Awareness, Breath, and Voice.

He will then work with pre-selected actors on material of their choosing (material must be memorized.) The work may include text analysis, physical awareness, breath and voice work, character and relationship development, all in service of freeing the actor to bring as much of their own authenticity and truth to their performance. In this time frame, he can work with up to four actors on monologues or songs, perhaps in the following mix of material:

Two Actors with Monologues (ideally at least one would be Shakespeare)

Two Singing Actors working on selections from the past 50 years, ideally a mix of eras and styles

After each individual actor’s work, he will answer any questions the group has about that actor’s work. Time permitting; he will end the session with a brief general Q&A.

Brian Myers Cooper is a professional New York actor of 20+ years, as well as a writer, director, acting teacher and career coach. His performing career has ranged from the lowest to the pinnacle of Equity contracts, with performances in all fifty states. He has coached his clients to jobs on Broadway, Off-Broadway, national tours, major regional theaters, and the recent NY Philharmonic production of Sweeney Todd starring Emma Thomson, soon to be aired on PBS. For the past decade he has served as an elected member of the National Council and Eastern Regional Board of Actor’s Equity Association where he is a veteran of seven contract negotiations, including chairing three of the teams. In addition, he serves as a trustee of the Equity-League Pension & Health Trust Funds. Over the years, Mr. Cooper has studied extensively with notable NYC teachers in Meisner, On-camera technique, Commercial technique, Alexander, Linklater Voice, multiple stints with Shakespeare & Co, and a bevy of singing teachers and coaches. He is the proud holder of a BA in Music Education (vocal and instrumental) from WLSC (’88).

A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays with the universal theme of love, and it’s complications, disappointments, and confusions. Hermia is in love with Lysander, but her father insists she marry Demetrius. To escape the arranged marriage, she and Lysander elope into the woods followed by Demetrius. However, he is pursued by the love struck Helena.

“The course of true love never did run smooth.”

This love quadrangle is complicated further when they happen on a band of mischievous fairies and one, Robin Goodfellow (AKA Puck), attempts to play Cupid. The love connections are all confused by a magic flower and eventually the two noble men are fighting over the love of Helena.

“Oh, what fools these mortals be.”

Meanwhile, a group of amateur actors, rehearsing a badly written play in the woods, happen upon the lair of the fairies, where Oberon and Titania, the warring king and queen of the fairies are at odds.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is widely performed around the world, and no wonder – it’s about the world’s most popular pastime, falling in love. But as Puck knows, falling in love can make fools of us all. Love is crazy, love is mad. Will love win out in the end?